Women's Volleyball Drops Five-Set Heartbreaker to San Diego

Thursday, November 12

Malibu, Calif.

7:00 pm PT

Pepperdine University

20-5,12-2WCC

San Diego

15-8,10-3WCC

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
San Diego	21	19	25	25	17	3
Pepperdine	25	25	21	17	15	2

Photo by: Kelly Nugent

11/12/2026 11:29:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Greg Bintz

MALIBU, Calif. - Pepperdine women's volleyball (20-5, 12-2 WCC) was stunned in a heartbreaking five-set loss to the San Diego Toreros on Thursday night at Firestone Fieldhouse.

"San Diego showed a lot of fight and played some really good volleyball tonight," said Head Coach Scott Wong after the contest. "Ultimately, they scored a couple more points than we did, but I am proud of our team and how we showed up in adverse times."

Maggie Beauer led the way with 16 kills, while Chloe Pravednikov had seven and Mariia Nikol Dvornikova added a half-dozen. Laine Briggs had 19 digs and Tristen Raymond had a baker's dozen while racking up 34 assists.

Laine with the dig of her life, and then Maggie buries her NINTH KILL of the game‼️ 📺 ESPNU 💻 https://t.co/fJFAjaQHJW 📲 ESPN App #MakeWaves | @PepperdineWaves https://t.co/CP7Nb30HIz
— Pepperdine Women's Volleyball (@PepperdineWVB) November 13, 2026

The Toreros had an 8-5 lead to start the first set but Beauer kept the Waves in it. Of Pepperdine's first 12 points, she had five kills. Consecutive blocks from Ella Piskorz, with assistance from Dvornikova on one of them, in addition to back-to-back aces from Raymond, helped knot the frame at 13 apiece. Soon after, Beauer buried another kill that sent the crowd into a frenzy as the Waves led 19-16. The Chandler, Arizona native racked up nine kills in the first set and Piskorz had three blocks (more than all of the Pacific match) as the blue and orange rolled to a 25-21 first set win.

Set two saw Pepperdine take a commanding 7-1 lead behind a sensational dig from Briggs that set up another Beauer kill, capping a 5-0 run. USD tried their best to claw back into it, but a combo block from Piskorz and Raymond extended the lead back to five at 14-9. The Waves spread around the offense, involving Dvornikova, Pravednikov, and Lorenzen, handling San Diego in a convincing 25-19 set win. The aforementioned trio combined for eight kills for the match by the end of the stanza, and Pepperdine was going for its ninth sweep in the last 18 matches.

Things would take a swift turn in the third set, as San Diego was the one taking a 9-2 lead out of the gates. Astrid Puig checked in for her first action of the night and made an immediate impact, tallying a couple of kills. With Raymond serving, the Waves ripped off a 4-0 run and eventually tied things up at 16 apiece on the following service turn with Iva Popovic landing an ace. Puig again made her presence felt with a rejection at the net to keep the set tied at 20. The Torero's Nemo Beach would take over down the stretch, ending the set with a pair of kills that kept San Diego's comeback hopes alive.

thanks, waves nation 🫶 #MakeWaves | @PepperdineWaves https://t.co/FP4EPdYgzu
— Pepperdine Women's Volleyball (@PepperdineWVB) November 13, 2026

The Toreros kept the momentum rolling into the fourth set. Pepperdine was never within five points for the majority of the set, despite valiant efforts from Dvornikova and a number of aces from Raymond, Charis Kai, and Piskorz. San Diego's Emma Brewer had five kills in the frame and BayLea Sparks had three from the get-go to force a fifth set.

The match-deciding set lived up to the primetime hype. Both teams would seem to bend but never break as each squad traded blows. San Diego was forced into several attack errors, and Ryan Gilhooly stepped up to the line and delivered a service ace to put Pepperdine in front 12-11. The Waves ultimately lost grip on momentum after Sparks and Brewer landed kills. Pravednikov answered with a kill, but it wasn't enough as the Toreros defense stepped up when the match hung in the balance. A pair of attack errors ended the contest as Pepperdine fell in five sets, 3-2.

GAME NOTES

With an attendance of 570, it was the second-largest home crowd of the season.
It is the Waves' first loss all season in which Pepperdine had a 1-0 lead, 2-0 lead, 2-1 lead, or was tied 2-2.

Pepperdine will resume its five-match homestand on Saturday with a 12 noon first serve against Denver. Get your tickets here, or watch the match on ESPN+.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Pepperdine women's volleyball has reached 26 NCAA Tournaments since 1981 as one of the most successful collegiate programs on the West Coast. The 12-time WCC Champions Waves have consistently produced top talent with 21 All-American selections with honorees in six straight decades. With multiple Olympians going through the program, Kim Hill brought home the program's first gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games.

TICKETS
For more information on ticket packages and to purchase tickets for upcoming home events, visit here.

FOLLOW
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